What is a Noun? A Noun is used as the name of a person, thing, place, idea and quality of a person, a thing and a place. (1) Kinds of Noun (a) Common Noun It is the name given in common to every person or a thing of the same kind. It is not a name of any particular person or thing or place. For example boy, girl, teacher etc (b) Proper Noun It is the name given to some particular person, thing or place. For example Delhi, Sania, India, Jupiter. (©) Collective Noun It is the name of a collection of persons and things treated and spoken together as a whole. For example fleet, audience, class, committee, crowd, mob ete. (d) Abstract Noun It is the name of a quality, idea, concept or state For example beauty, youth, honesty, death ete. (c) Material Noun Such as gold, coal, wheat, tea (IL) Number of a Noun, Singular - Plural (IID Gender of a Noun Masculine - Feminine - Neuter (IV) Case of a Noun For example (Mohan is my friend. Subjective!Nominative case (ii) Who brought this book? Objctive/Accusative case (iti) She is Mohan’s wife. Possessive/Genetive case (iv) Help me, Mohan. Vocative case Case in Apposition Mohan, the Captain of our team, has been rewarded. Appositon means a placing near just ‘as captain’ is placed after ‘Mohan’. It isa kind of descriptive expression not joined by any conjunction.Objective General English 135 Rules of Noun Rule | (A) (a) Uncountable Nouns are used in the singular forms only. (b) Inde (©) They are not used with plural verbs. (d) ‘Much’ or ‘Some’ are used in place of ‘Many’ for denoting plurality. ite article is not used before them. Some of the important Nouns of this kind are ‘Advice, information, hair, luggage, business, work, word (in the sense of promise, message, discussion) mischief, bread, scenery, abuse, vacation, evidence, employment, alphabet, poetry, food, furniture, baggage, fuel, paper, equipment, machinery, material ete’. For example (i) He gave me an information (Omit ‘an’) (ii) You should be true to your words. (Use ‘word’ in place of words’) (ii) Hee was punished for committing many mischiefs, (Use ‘much mischief in place of ‘many mischifs’) ‘derly people. (Use ‘advice’ in place of ‘advice’) (ir) Young persons dislike the advices of th (B) These nouns may be used to denote singularity as follows, (i) a piece/a word of advice, (ii) a word of abuse (ii) an act of mischief. (ir) a piece of work, (v) a piecefloaf of bread. (vi) an article of luggage. (©) These nouns may be used to denote plurality as follows (i) muchysome advice. (ii) a lot offmany words/many pieces of advice. Gti) two pieces/loaves of bread. (in) words of abuse. Rule lt ‘There are some of the collective nouns which are used with plural verbs, For example (a) ‘cattle, gentry, peasantry, poultry, clergy, people, majority, folk.” (b) The nouns ‘committee, jury, house, ministry, family, mob, crowd, audience, police, team, number, board, staff, public’ are used with singular verbs when they are used as a body or group and not as members. (c) When these nouns denote members or individuals, the verb is used in Plural form. (i) Cattles are grazing in the field. (Use ‘cattle’ in place of ‘catles’) (ii) Majority is in favour of this proposal (Use ‘are’ in place of is’) (ii) The committee is unanimous on this issue. (Correct) (iv) The committee are divided and there is bitterness among the members. correct) (v) The peoples of all the countries should work for peace, (Correct) (vi) The average Hindu family in India consists of four members. (Conect)136 Objective General English (vii) His family are not agreed on this point. rect) (viii) The audience was spell bound. (Correct) (ix) The audience were forbidden to occupy chairs (Correct) (x) The Police has become insensitive. ct) (si) The Police were posted all over the route. (Correct) (xii) The team are full of high spirits. (Correct) (xiii) The team is at the top in this competition. (Correct) NOTE ‘Peoples’ is used when we talk of the people of different countries. Rule it ‘Offspring, deer, fish, sheep’ are expressed as singular or plural only by the use of verb, Both in singular and the plural they have the same form. (i) Sheeps are economically useful. (Use ‘Sheep’ in place of ‘Sheeps’) (ii) A sheep is grazing in the field. (Correct) NOTE ‘Fishes’ may be used in the sense of different number and kind. RuleW Some of the nouns (ending in ‘s' or “es') are used with singular verb. (A) Branches of learning. For example Mathematics, Physics, Mechanics, Politics, Statistics, Statics, Economics, NOTE. Siatistics as subject is used wilh singular verb. Statistics when taken as a collection of dala is used with plural verb. (B) Diseases. For example Mumps, Measles, Rickets ete: (C) Games and sports, For example Billiards, Aquatics, Gymnastics, Athletics etc. (D) Titles of books. For example Three Musketeers, Gulliver's Travels, Arabian Nights, War and Peace, Tales from Shakespeare. (E) Descriptive names of countries. For example United States, United Arab Emirates etc, (F) Some other nouns are Innings, Series, News, Summons. For example (i) The measles have broken out in the town. (Use ‘has’ in place of ‘have’) (ii) Politics are a dirty game. (Use ‘sin place of ‘are’) (ii) These news are disappointing, (Say ‘this news is) (ir) A(The summons has been served on him, (Correct) (v) A series of matches are being played. (Use “sin place of ‘are’) (vi) Two series of matches was played last year. (Use ‘were in place of was’)Objective General English 137 RuleV Study the uses of Nouns as singular and plural in forms. Noun Used as Noun Used as Wood Material Woods Forest Water Material Waters Sea Asset Quality Assets Property Sand Material Sands Land ron Material rons Chains Cloth Material Clothes Dress Abuse Indecent words | Abuses Misuses Work Labour Works aterary writings Air Element Airs Behaviour Advice Suggestion | Advices Bills Custom | Habit Customs | Tax Effect Rosut Effects Goods Colour Material Colours Flag Frut Edible thing | Fruits Results wit Abily to talk — | Wits Inveligence Am Organ Arms Weapons Good Advantage/use | Goods Articles Rule VI Some of the nouns are generally used in the plural form with plural verb, (a) Articles of dress. “Trousers, breeches, Jeans’ (b) Names of instruments. ‘Scissors, spectacles, shears, scales’ (©) Other nouns such as ‘Alms, thanks, proceeds, riches, contents, credentials, orders, refreshments, requirements, customs, rations, archives, annals, ashes, arrears, assets, stairs, spirits, statistics (data), quarters, earnings, manners, outskirts, savings, auspices (support), surroundings. For example (i) My scissors is not sharp, (Use ‘are’ in place of is’) (ii) My spectacles is very costly. (Use ‘are’ in place of is’) (iii) A pair of spectacles has been bought by me. (Correct) (iv) Order for his transfer has been issued, (Incorrect) (v) Orders for his transfer have been issued. (Correct) Rule Vil Acompound noun (numerical + noun) is not used in plural if'a noun does the work of an adjective. For example (i) Ten-day tour (ii) Aten-mile race (ii) A ten-year old boy (iv) He is ten years old, (Correct) (v) A five-rupee note (v1) Five-foot long room138 Objective General English Rule VI Nouns expressing number are used in singular with numerical adjectives “Two hundred, two thousand, five dozen, two score, two million, three lakh.’ For example (i) I gave him two hundreds rupees. (Omit ‘sin hundreds’) (ii) L gave him five dozens pencils. (Omit ‘sin dozens’) (iii) There are hundreds of partially built houses. (Correct) Rule X Use of Apostrophe with ‘s’ (A) The use of apostrophe with ‘s’ is not correct in the case of non-living things. It is restricted only to living things, time, weight, distance, amount or personified (i) The table’s wood, (Incorrect) (ii) Boy's hand. (iii) Time's march. (ir) A one-kilometre’s journey. () Arapee’s worth, (vi) Anight’s journey. (vii) A mette’s length. (viii) Nature's laws. (ix) A week's holiday. (B) Two nouns in the possessive case denote plural form. When apostrophe with ‘s is used with one noun, it expresses singular form. For example (i) Sheela and Rohit’s father. (the father of both Sheela and Rohit) (ii) Shecla’s and Rohit’s fathers are meeting today. (fathers of Sheela and Rohit) (©) With compound nouns apostrophe with ‘s’ should be added only with the last word. (i) Mother-in-law’s behaviour (ii) Maid-servant's absence (D) Pronouns are written by omitting apstrophe but ‘s’ is added. For example (i) Yours truly (ii) Tis colour (ii) Hers (iv) Ws (Iti) (E) Possessive case is indicated by apostrophe without ‘s’ after Plural nouns or words ending with ‘s, (i) John Keats’ poems. (ii) Girls’ Hostel. (ii) Dickens’ novels. (iv) Jesus’ sake. (0) Kalidas’ works. (F) (a) ‘Else’ combined with indefinite pronouns (somebody, any body, nobody ete) is expressed in possessive case as somebody else's in place of somebody's else,Objective General English 139 (b) ‘The correct expression ‘whose else’ should be used in place of the wrong expression ‘who else's’. However ‘who else’ is correct. (i) This is not my book. This is somebody's else (Say somebody else's) (ii) Who else is coming? (Correct) (Gli) Who else's book is this? (Use ‘whose else" in place of ‘who else's’) NOTE Who’ should be converted into possessive whose’. So whose else’ is correct, RuleX Two adjectives denoting different meanings and qualifying the same noun are considered plural and are used with plural verbs. For example (i) Cultural and social life in India are changing, (ii) Summer and winter vacation are compulsory in our schools. (Look up Rule V on Articles) Rule XI Noun after preposition is repeated in singular form, For example (i) Word for word. (ii) Hour after hour, (iti) Door to door. Rule Xi ‘The use of fractions (i) One and a half years are wasted. (ii) One and a half hours are wasted. (ii) Ayear and a half is wasted. (ir) An hour and a half is wasted. Rule XI A student is required to study the plural forms of certain nouns carefully. Such nouns alongwith their plural forms are given below ‘Singular Form Plural Form Singular Form | Plural Form ‘Commanderin-chiet | Commanders-n-chiet | Medium Media Major General Major Generals Forum Forums, Fora Altomey General ‘Atorneys General Stadium Stadia Maid servant Maid servants Criterion Criteria Looker-on. Lookers-on Phenomenan Phenomena Passer by Passers by Formula, Formulae Mother-in-taw Mothers-in-law Oasis Cases Man servant Men servants, Lacuna Lacunae Woman servant Women servants Erratum Errata MA, MA's Memorandum | Memoranda Mouse Mice ‘Alumnus Alumni Ox oxen Syllabus Syllabi Datum Data Addendum Addenda,